1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a combination passenger seat headrest and access ladder for a transportation vehicle and particularly for a railway sleeper car.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a vehicle having sleeping compartments and particularly in a railroad sleeper car having double or triple berths, it is necessary to provide a ladder or a series of steps which a passenger can use to climb into the second or third berth.
In railroad sleeper cars, the usual means has been for the railroad to employ porters to bring ladders or steps to the sleeping compartments when the berths are to be made up. However, since the steps or ladders had to be stored during the day, valuable car space was necessarily needed to store the steps or ladders when they were not in use. Another means of providing passenger access to an upper berth is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,778,320. That patent discloses a sliding shelf-like step secured and stored beneath a lower sleeper car berth. Another type of step is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,953,298 which discloses a variety of single pivotally folding steps for workmen. Still another step is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,246 which shows an emergency fire escape means mounted on the wall of a building below a window or a door.